"Her cause of death was suffocation, pressed by heavy objects and raped. She bore obvious signs of sexual assaults. She had several bruises at month, nose, ribs and sexual organ."

Semen that was found in her vegina was sent for DNA testing.

"We found some food left in her stomach, showing that she died shortly after having some food,'' the doctor said.

Dr Pol Col Pratheep Wisarut told reporters that victim had been dead for a couple of weeks.

The freighter, the Prince of Tokyo, docked in Thailand's Sri Racha port on May 31. The girl was on board with her mother who had been employed to do temporary work on the cruise while it was at the dock.

Police said the mother had lodged a complaint with the police after she was unable to find her daughter after work.

Seven days later on June 7, the victim's body was found on board. The freighter's captain alerted the employer of the victim's mother about the victim, said Police spokesman Pol Lt Gen Ronnarong Yangyuen.

Her body was sent back to Thailand on Wednesday and sent for autopsy at the Police Hospital.

Meanwhile the victim's mother; Sudmart, said that she was employed to collect pieces of wood on the cruise and her daughter asked to accompany her onto the cruise. When she could not find her daughter after finishing her work, she thought that her daughter already went home.

She decided to alert police as her daughter vanished and did not go home.

The Nation